1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a concrete type framing hammer assembly. More particularly, the present invention relates to a framing hammer assembly for driving nails within tight spaces and further for removing nails from within tight spaces.
2. Description of Prior Art
It is noted that common prior art hammers comprising a nail-striking head and a nail-pulling claw (opposite the nail-striking head) often cannot be properly utilized to drive nails because the open space adjacent the nail to be driven, within which the user may wield the hammer to generate a driving force, is insufficient to allow for the hammer to be used in a typical hammering manner. Notably, the width of common prior art hammering heads are often used by users in the construction arts to drive nails in rather tight spaces. Further, it is often useful to have a measuring device on the spot to lessen construction effort and cost. Prior art hammering devices incorporating measurement means are known in the arts. Some of the more pertinent prior art disclosures relating to hammering devices and the like attempting to address the types of structural shortcomings implicit in the foregoing introduction, are briefly described hereinafter.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,732,058 ('058 Patent), which issued to Chung, discloses a Measuring Hammer. The '058 Patent teaches a measuring hammer which is constructed in such a manner as to provide locations in the hammer with specific dimensions so that the hammer itself can be used to make measurements normally required in the construction field. Also, a nail holding aperture is disposed in the head portion thereof for starting a nail into the wood. Advantageously, the measuring hammer contains measurements of 1.5″, 12″, 16″ or 24″.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,159,858 ('858 Patent), which issued to Gansen, discloses a Framing Hammer Construction. The '858 Patent teaches a framing hammer construction in which a conventional hammer head is provided with first and second bosses. The first boss is permanently secured to one side of the hammer head, this boss containing double tapered grooves for releasably holding laterally projecting nails. Notably, the second boss is a flattened boss on the side of the hammer head opposite to the grooved boss for driving nails with sideways blows of the hammer head.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,826,466 ('466 Patent), which issued to Weissbach, discloses a Multipurpose Hammer. The '466 Patent teaches a multi-purpose hammer that starts nails with the use of only one hand, drives nails in restricted areas, and draws circles. The hammer includes a handle, a head, and holding apparatus. The head extends generally perpendicularly from the handle, at an end thereof. The holding apparatus is associated with the head and holds the nail and includes a pair of dimples in a surface of an intermediate portion of the head. Another surface of the intermediate portion of the head has a striking surface that drives a nail in the restricted area by reducing the needed swing. And, the handle of the hammer has a plurality of grooves therealong with inch indicia next thereto that function as the radius of the circle, with the nail in one dimple functioning as the center of the circle and a marking device inserted into a desired groove with the handle being swung and marking the circle.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,332,376 ('376 Patent), which issued to Hurley, discloses a Hammer with Replaceable Nail Striking Head. The '376 Patent teaches a hammer including an elongated handle having a top end and a bottom end and a hammer head mounted on the top end of said handle, the hammer head including a body section and a rigid nail striking head section having a nail striking face. A nail pulling device is mounted on the handle, the nail pulling device having a nail-engaging plate and at least one generally keyhole-shaped slot formed therein, the slot including an access opening having a relatively wide transverse dimension sized to receive a nail head therethrough and a narrowed groove section having a transverse dimension smaller than the transverse dimension of the access opening and sized to inhibit passage of a nail head therethrough, the nail pulling device operating such that the head of a nail to be pulled is moved through the access opening of the slot and the hammer is positioned to secure the nail in the groove section.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,460,210 ('210 Patent), which issued to Alpert, discloses a Multi-Purpose Hammer. The '210 Patent teaches a hammer including a body having opposed, non-parallel cutting edges, and a cross bar attached to the body having a substantially flat side arranged relative to the cutting edges to permit left and right handed cutting. The cross bar includes a hammer head defining a central axis positioned off-axis of a central axis of the cross bar. The cross bar has a claw and a pointed end. The hammer includes a handle attached to the body. The handle defines a central axis positioned off-axis of a central axis of the body. The body of the hammer includes a handle stem with splines for receiving the handle and limiting rotation of the handle relative to the body.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,604,728 ('728 Patent), which issued to Boyden, discloses a Multiple Use Hammer. The '728 Patent teaches a multiuse hammer having multiple pry features of varying configurations as well as a striking face on an enlarged head portion. One feature is formed on the handle end, another long length straight but angled claw on the head portion, and a pry tooth projects to one side of the claw.
From an inspection of the foregoing disclosures and from a consideration of other art generally known to exist it will be seen that the prior art fails to teach a combination framing hammer construction having a hammer head incorporating two nail-striking heads, orthogonally situated relative to one another, one oriented lengthwise and one oriented widthwise for driving nails within tight spaces, which hammer head is cooperatively associated with a hammer handle having select tool attachments associated with the end opposite the hammer head for providing lever means and enabling users to remove driven nails from tight spaces. The prior art thus perceives a need for a combination framing hammer as briefly described herein.